z8 HISTORY OF

between fix and seven feet water when they have taken in theirlading.

2. In order to join the Hielmar and Wenner, it was proposed to openthe navigation of the Swart-an, which falls into the western extremity ofthe Hielmar at Orebro ; to make a canal from that river to the lake Mor-ken; from thence by the Leton to the Skager; and from the Skager, by theGullfpang, to the Wenner. There is reason to conclude, from the accountsof persons who have been on the spot, and inspected the above-mentionedrivers, that they are so shallow and stony, that it would be very difficultand expensive to render them navigable; and as the faint attempts hithertomade upon the Gullfpang have all failed of success, it has been proposedto cut a canal directly from lake Morken to Christinehamn, which is situ-ated upon the eastern shore of the Wenner: but as no part of this pro-ject has been yet begun, and the whole would be attended with verygreat difficulties, there is little prospect that this branch of the great un-dertaking, the junction of the Hielmar and the Wenner, will ever becompleted. On account of the almost insuperable difficulties attendingthe junction of the Hielmar and the Wenner, a plan was projected toform an inland navigation from the eastern coast of Sweden, south ofthe Maeler, by means of the Wetter, to the Wenner; and in 1774 a mapwas published, with a view to shew the scheme to be practicable.

3. The junction of the Wenner with the German ocean is next tobe considered; and this might be accomplished by the river Goth a,which issues from the southern extremity of the lake near Wennesborg,and after a course of seventy miles falls into the sea near Gotheborg,provided that river could be made navigable throughout its whole course;but as, on account of shoals and cataracts, its stream is greatly impeded,the communication has been attempted by the Carlsgraf canal, the canalof Trolhaetta, and the sluices of Akerstrœm and Edet, which therefore Ishall separately describe.

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